"What in the bloody moon?!" Zeeb blurted out, the noise of the pack's gathering swirling around him.
Ralph, leaning back, his eyes closed with a relaxed air, asked lazily, "What is it now, Zeeb?"
Zeeb squinted, rubbing his eyes. "I swear I've only had one gulp of dragon breath, but... is that Zephyr walking over here?"
Ralph turned, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as their Alpha made his way over and casually settled down beside him.
Zephyr scanned the lively scene – laughter, arguments, chatter, dancing, singing along to the harp, and the general haze of too much drinking. He then fixed his gaze on his Beta and Gamma, who looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"Try to act normal," Zephyr murmured, just loud enough for them to hear.
Zeeb gasped dramatically. "It talks! It's alive! It's actually real!" He then scooted over to sit on Zephyr's other side. "Do you even realize you're in the paddle?" he asked, eyes wide.
